The Federal Government has been urged to take decisive steps to protect local manufacturers by discouraging the importation of products already produced domestically.
The appeal was made by Abass Fawaz, a director at Prestige Cosmetic Limited, during the Beauty West Africa Trade Exhibition at Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, which commenced on Tuesday.
Fawaz highlighted that one of the major challenges facing local manufacturers was competition from imported goods, a factor that has stifled many indigenous industries and contributed to rising unemployment.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
"Federal government should protect the manufacturing companies in Nigeria, protect them from products coming from outside the country, that takes over the market from indigenous companies," he said.
Fawaz also stressed the economic importance of local manufacturers.
"We manufacturers in Nigeria have a lot of workers engaged, and hundreds of families are being fed. Apart from that, we have close to 18 government agencies overseeing our production, that is a bit of a headache. If government can narrow down these agencies that oversee our production. We expect the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) to be able to protect us in this area, to look into our concerns and complaints."
Also, speaking on the exhibition, Brad Smith, Sales Director of the organising company, Trade Show Organisers of Nigeria Limited, said the event aimed to create opportunities for both local and international companies.
"Every year the show exhibition is going on, organizations develop interest to participate in the exposition. Every year participation in the exhibition increases. The brands come to Nigeria to do things in a different perspective. When they enter the market, they get the best value. Being here as the manufacturer themselves is the opportunity to negotiate the best prices for their products," Smith explained.
He added that the exhibition gives local firms the chance to interact with international players.
"We have to look at the local concept, one of the challenges, barriers affecting the house, is to get the local importers to be here and get the same exposure to leading importers in the market. That gives a lot of opportunities for all of them to distribute what they have and expand their proceeds," he added.
On why Nigeria was chosen as the exhibition hub, Smith said: "We know Africa is a very big place, and we always get requests to do shows in Ghana, Kenya, and other African countries. First we locate the market here. Nigeria is the biggest market in the whole of Sub-Africa, the bulk of the traders are here, we have the structure, for us it makes sense to build on what we have here.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"Instead of taking the expo to another country, we will bring the right people from those markets here. Are there many distributors in Ghana or Kenya that thrive more than Nigeria? No. What we do is we bring everybody from outside -- East Africa, Sahara, Central Africa -- to Nigeria because this is the hub. That allows the show to grow, the brand to grow, the local manufacturer to grow, and the economy to grow," Smith added.
Participants from around the world expressed optimism about Nigeria's market, noting that the exhibition has boosted their sales. Some have attended since the event's inception in 2019, while others were first-time participants eager to return.
Mr. Lawrence, a representative of American International Industries, highlighted the exhibition's role in promoting authentic products.
"Genuine products that are not adulterated, a lot of people talk about their products being adulterated, but when they get here, what they expect to see are the original owner, concept owners, and when you are dealing with them, what you get in return is the original quality of what you ordered, so there is no adulteration, there is no fake."
